IBM signs $5.5 Million Contract to Modernize California DMV Website

The Department of Technology will serve as the system integrator, working directly with IBM on the contract that ends on Dec. 31, 2015.

In an effort to modernize the Department of Motor Vehicles website, IBM has signed a $5.5 million contract with the state to migrate away from its aging infrastructure. The Department of Technology will serve as the system integrator, working directly with IBM on the contract that ends on Dec. 31, 2015.

“DMV is working with the California Department of Technology to update its old website infrastructure,” said DMV spokesman Artemio Armenta in an email. “One component of this update is the migration of the infrastructure to Department of Technology’s managed services environment … DMV recognized the need to update the current infrastructure and had planned to perform the update as a multi-year maintenance and operation effort.”

Overseeing one of California state government’s largest IT programs, newly appointed DMV CIO Stacy Cockrum started his tenure prior to the department disclosing a law enforcement investigation and possible security breach of its credit card processing system. Cockrum was appointed by DMV Director Jean Shiomoto on Feb. 10, 2014 after the departure of Steve Westerman.

“We appreciate the work of Hewlett-Packard in helping us complete important upgrades to the state’s driver license system,” said Shiomoto in a statement to Government Technology at the time. “Minimal work has begun on the vehicle registration portion, so this is a natural breaking point for the project. We will now work with the Technology Agency to develop a new plan for finishing the last remaining part of this project.”